Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
These easy pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are the perfect fall treat! They’re loaded with pumpkin flavor and chocolate chips that’s sure to be a hit with all of your family and friends.
It’s that time of year again when the leaves start to change color, the air gets a little crisper, and pumpkin spice everything starts appearing on store shelves.
If you’re looking for a delicious way to get in on the autumn season, look no further than these easy pumpkin chocolate chip muffins!
They’re moist and fluffy with just the right amount of spices, and the chocolate chips add a touch of sweetness.
Plus, they’re really easy to make, and can be stored in the freezer. So you can make a batch ahead of time and pull them out when you need them.
Perfect for a fall brunch or breakfast.
Ingredients
This recipe makes enough for 12 muffins.
Here is your shopping list:
- baking supplies: 2 cups self-rising flour, 1 cup granulated sugar
- spices: 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- chocolate chips: 1¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips – we’ll use some in the batter and some to sprinkle on top of the muffins
- flavoring: 1 teaspoon vanilla extra
- canned goods: 1 cup pumpkin puree
- oil: ½ cup canola oil
- dairy: ½ cup milk
- eggs: 1 large egg
Substitutions
- If you don’t have self-rising flour, you can use 2 cups all-purpose flour and 2 teaspoons baking powder.
- For a slightly more caramel flavor, substitute 1 cup brown sugar for the granulated sugar.
- If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can make your own by combining ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger and 1/8 teaspoon allspice.
- Milk chocolate, dark chocolate or even white chocolate chips can be used instead of the semi-sweet ones.
- You can steam and puree fresh pumpkin instead of the canned pumpkin puree if you prefer.
- The canola oil can be replaced by any other mild flavored vegetable oil, or ½ cup melted butter.
How to make pumpkin chocolate chip muffins
Prep work
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Place 12 paper liners in a 12-hole muffin tin and set aside.
Stir the dry ingredients
Add 2 cups self-rising flour, 1 cup granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice to a large bowl.
Stir with a spoon until well combined and set aside.
Mix the wet ingredients
Add 1 cup pumpkin puree, ½ cup oil, ½ cup milk, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl.
Mix with a mixer on medium speed until all ingredients are well combined.
Or mix by hand with a spoon if you prefer.
Combine the wet and dry mixtures
Add the flour mixture into the bowl with the pumpkin mixture.
Mix just until combined to prevent the muffins from coming out tough.
Adding the dry ingredients into the wet ones (rather than the other way around) helps to prevent clumps of flour from forming and minimizes the amount of mixing required to combine them.
With a spoon, gently stir in 1 cup of the chocolate chips. Again, don’t mix too much or the muffins will not turn out as well.
Spoon into the muffin tin
Divide the muffin batter equally between the paper liners.
Using an ice cream scoop is the easiest way I have found for getting the right amount of batter cleanly into each liner.
Scatter the remaining ¼ cup of chocolate chips over the tops of the muffins.
Bake
Bake the muffins for 20 minutes or until they spring back when lightly touched.
You can also insert a toothpick into the center of the muffin which should come out clean when they are done.
Transfer to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely in the tins.
Serving
While the recipe suggests letting these muffins cool completely, they are also delicious eaten while still warm fresh out of the oven. Just allow to cool for 10 minutes before eating.
As with all muffins, these pumpkin chocolate chip muffins taste their absolute best on the day they are baked.
Storage
Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Or freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Then defrost at room temperature before eating.
Other fall brunch recipes you might like
- Maple pecan scones with cinnamon butter
- Old-fashioned date nut bread
- Buttermilk blueberry pancakes
- Classic Mimosas
Other pumpkin recipes you might like
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups self rising flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup canola oil
- ½ cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips divided
Equipment
- 1 12-hole muffin tin
- 12 paper liners
- 1 large bowl
- 1 mixer with a large mixing bowl
- 1 large spoon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place 12 paper liners in a 12 hole muffin tin and set aside.
- Add the flour, sugar and pumpkin pie spice to a large bowl. Stir until well combined and set aside.
- In another mixing bowl, add the pumpkin puree, oil, milk, egg and vanilla extract. Mix until all ingredients are well combined.
- Add the flour mixture to the bowl. Mix until just combined.
- Fold in 1 cup of the chocolate chips.
- Divide the muffin batter between the paper liners.
- Scatter the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips over the muffins.
- Bake the muffins for 20 minutes or until they spring back when lightly touched.
- Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before removing from the muffin tin.
Notes
- If you don’t have paper liners, spray your muffin tin with a non-stick cooking spray.
- I find using a cookie scoop makes it easy to scoop the muffin batter into the paper liners.
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Have comments or questions on our pumpkin chocolate chip muffins? Tell us in the section below.
This post was originally published on September 21, 2022 but was updated with new content on March 19, 2024.